Alappuzha: Her profession was her cover and her teen son, a trusted ally. A woman lawyer and her son, who were arrested on Monday for possession of MDMA, peddled drugs to a selected bunch of vetted clients from their single-storey house, guarded by four dogs. The Alappuzha District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) intercepted their car while they were returning from Kochi. Sathya Mol, 46, and her 18-year-old son, Sourav, were caught red-handed with illegal substances after a surveillance that spanned three years. 

The officials said that Sathya, who occasionally takes up cases at the Family Court in Karunagappally, Kollam, ran a drug racket in her house at Purakkad, and her son Sourav, a first-year degree student at Government College, Ambalappuzha, was her business partner. Investigators believe it was Sathya who first introduced her son to drug use and later roped him into the business. The spacious rooftop had the setting of an open bar where their clients consumed drugs instead of alcohol. The house has an enormous compound wall with a locked gate. Sathya stashed away drugs, weighing machines and other smoking paraphernalia in the house, police said.

Police described the mother-son duo’s operation as “systematic and discreet.” Their house — a large single-storey structure surrounded by high compound walls, equipped with CCTV monitoring and guarded by four dogs — served as both a den and a distribution point. “The gate was always locked, and customers had to scale the wall to enter. Sourav usually waited on the rooftop to receive them,” said an official.

The drugs were packed in small pouches, and customers were required to consume the substances inside the house itself to avoid being caught later. “They didn’t allow anyone to take the drugs outside. The rooftop area functioned like a bar, except that instead of alcohol, MDMA and ganja were consumed there,” the officer added. “When Sourav wasn’t at home, the woman dealt with the customers.”

According to DANSAF officials, the two had been active in the trade for about three years. They used Sathya’s profession as a cover to avoid police scrutiny. “They often displayed an Advocate sticker on their car to evade checks,” said an officer. “We had received intelligence over a year ago and tried to catch them several times, but they managed to stay ahead of us until now. We attempted to raid their house earlier, too, but each time we reached the house, it was found locked. We had even detained Sourav once, but couldn’t secure enough evidence then, as he did not reveal anything," the official said.

Acting on a specific tip-off, DANSAF officers intercepted the duo’s car near Paravoor around 8.10 am on Monday. Sourav was driving, and Sathya was in the passenger seat. Though they denied possession, during the search, cops recovered 2.72 grams of MDMA hidden in the dashboard. The duo was handed over to Punnapra police, who registered a case under the NDPS Act for illicit trafficking and criminal conspiracy. Their car was also seized.

A subsequent raid by the Amabalappuzha police on their house at Karoor led to the recovery of 2.23 grams of MDMA, 40.12 grams of ganja, 2 grams of hybrid ganja, a weighing machine, ₹7,690 in cash, and materials used for packing and consumption, including OCB papers (rolling paper). The police had to first tame the three dogs by feeding them before entering the compound. 

Officials said the two led a comfortable life financed by drug sales — selling 1 gm of MDMA for ₹3,000 and 1 pack of ganja (4-6 gm) for ₹500. Meanwhile, 1 packet of hybrid ganja costs ₹3,000 to ₹5,000. They were also extremely cautious in choosing clients. “They avoided people from nearby coastal areas, known for criminal activities, fearing that police questioning of such people could lead to their exposure,” said an officer from the Ambalappuzha station.

While investigators suspect that they also supplied drugs to students, further evidence is being collected to confirm it. Sourav also has a previous case against him for attempt to murder. Both were produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody.

Sourav is Sathya’s son from her first marriage. Her first husband passed away a few years ago, and she later remarried — her second husband works in the UAE.